Academics

Overview of USTEP

December 20, 2022

1. Summary

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The University of Tokyo (UTokyo) accepts exchange students from partner universities with which the University has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding concerning student exchange. Exchange students can choose between the Type U and Type G programs.

The Type U program is designed for undergraduate students to take various courses given in English and/or Japanese in Faculties and College in accordance with their English and/or Japanese language proficiency.

The Type G program is designed for graduate students. Type G participants will belong to one of the Graduate Schools which they applied for and be able to take various courses or conduct research under the guidance of faculty members.
 

2. Features of Type U & Type G

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  Type U Type G
Eligible Students Undergraduate Graduate
Students belong to Center for Global Education Graduate School to which they are admitted
Courses Take regular English and/or Japanese courses across various Faculties and College [Special Auditor] Take regular English and/or Japanese courses offered by the Graduate School to which they belong
Research guidance N/A [Special Research Student] Conduct research under the guidance of a faculty advisor
Language requirement English and/or Japanese
*A minimum TOEFL iBT score of 90, IELTS overall band score of 6.5, Cambridge English Qualifications "C1 Advanced" or JLPT level N1.
*TOEFL iBT Home Edition and IELTS Indicator are accepted.
*TOEFL iBT "MyBest Scores" is not accepted.
*TOEFL iBT and IELTS scores are valid only if dated within two years of the USTEP application deadline.
English and/or Japanese
*Application requirements vary by Graduate School.

For more details on Type U and Type G, please refer to their websites:

3. Partner Universities (student exchanges administered by the Center of Global Education)

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Country/Region Partner Universities
Asia China  Fudan University
 Nankai University
 Nanjing University
 Peking University
 Shanghai Jiao Tong University
 Tsinghua University
 Zhejiang University
Hong Kong  The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)
 The University of Hong Kong
Indonesia  Gadjah Mada University
 University of Indonesia
Malaysia  University of Malaya
Philippines  University of the Philippines
Republic of Korea  Korea University
 Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)
 Seoul National University
 Yonsei University
Singapore  Nanyang Technological University
 National University of Singapore
Taiwan  National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
 National Taiwan University
Thailand  Chulalongkorn University
Central and South America Brazil  University of São Paulo
Chile  The Pontifical Catholic University of Chile
 The University of Chile
Mexico  El Colegio de México
 The National Autonomous University of Mexico
North America Canada  McGill University
 University of British Columbia
 University of Toronto
 University of Victoria
United States of America  Johns Hopkins University
 Northeastern University
 Princeton University
 Swarthmore College
 University of California, Santa Cruz
 University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
 University of Washington
 Yale University (Yale Fox International Fellowship Program)
Oceania Australia  Australian National University
 Monash University
 The University of Adelaide
 The University of Melbourne
 The University of Queensland
 The University of Sydney
 The University of New South Wales
New Zealand  The University of Auckland
 University of Otago
Middle East Turkey  Bogazici University
Europe Denmark  University of Copenhagen
Finland  University of Helsinki
France  École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)
 École Polytechnique
 Institut d'etudes politiques de Paris (SciencesPo)
 The Université Grenoble Alpes
 University of Strasbourg
Germany  Free University of Berlin
 Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich
 University of Cologne
Ireland  Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin
 University College Dublin
Italy  Sapienza University of Rome
Netherlands  Leiden University
 University of Groningen
Russia  Saint Petersburg State University
Spain  Autonomous University of Madrid
Sweden  KTH Royal Institute of Technology
 Lund University
 Stockholm University
 Uppsala University
Switzerland  Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich)
 University of Geneva
 University of Zurich
United Kingdom  Durham University
 London School of Economics and Political Science
 School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London
 The University of Glasgow
 The University of Manchester
 The University of Sheffield
 University College London
 University of Exeter
 University of Southampton
 The University of Warwick

4. FAQs

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Application

Eligibility
Q1. My university is not listed on the USTEP site as a partner university. Can I still apply?
A1. No. UTokyo accepts exchange students only from partner universities with which the University has a Memorandum of Understanding concerning university-wide student exchange. Applications to USTEP will be accepted through the partner universities’ offices responsible for student exchange. However, your university may have College/Faculty-level exchange agreement(s) with UTokyo. Please consult your home institution.
Q2. I would like to participate in the Type U during my first (or second) year in a 4-year bachelor's program. Am I eligible?
A2. No. The Type U students will be registered in the Senior Division of UTokyo, which is for the 3rd and 4th year undergraduate students. Thus in a four-year degree program, students must have completed 2 years of study at their home institutions before coming to UTokyo. For students enrolled in three-year undergraduate programs, they must have finished at least 1.5-year of the program at the time of their arrival at UTokyo.

Letters of reference
Q3. Who should write my letter of reference?
A3.  The reference must be filled out by a full-time faculty member of the department you are currently affiliated with. It should, in other words, be filled out by a faculty member who can assess your academic performance in your specialty/major and who has the authority to give official grades to students at your institution. The reference should not be filled out by a Japanese language faculty unless the student is specializing in the field. The reference cannot be filled out by a teaching assistant. Additional references are accepted as long as you provide the first reference in accordance with the requirement explained above.

Language and other requirements
Q4. I am a Type U (undergraduate) applicant. What is the language requirement?
A4. The Type U program requires exchange students to be proficient in English and/or Japanese, depending on the courses they wish to take. 
Students who wish to take courses offered in English:
Unless they attend a university or have graduated from a high school where the medium of instruction is English, students must submit an official certificate of a minimum TOEFL iBT score of 90, IELTS overall band score of 6.5 or Cambridge English Qualifications "C1 Advanced". TOEFL iBT Home Edition and IELTS Indicator are accepted. TOEFL iBT “MyBest scores” is not accepted. TOEFL iBT and IELTS scores are valid only if dated within two years of the USTEP application deadline.
Students who wish to take courses offered in Japanese:
Unless they have graduated from a high school where the medium of instruction is in Japanese, students must submit an official certificate of JLPT Level N1.
Q5. I am a Type G (graduate) applicant. Are there any language requirements?
A5. Each Graduate School has its own requirements for language proficiency and other conditions depending on your exchange student status, "Special Auditor" or "Special Research Student". For details, please refer to Prerequisites for USTEP Type G Applicants.

Course selection
Q6. I want to see the list of next year’s courses. When will it be available?
A6. Our online course catalog is updated in March.
Q7. The language of instruction for the course I wish to take at UTokyo is "Japanese/English". What does that mean?
A7. The language of instruction in "Japanese/English" indicates that the course is taught in both languages. Therefore, proficiency in both languages is required.
Q8. I want to receive course selection advice.
A8. You will receive such advice once you are admitted to USTEP, and you can modify your course list before registration.

Credits
Q9. How are the credits defined?
A9. At UTokyo, courses worth 2 credits consist of 13 weeks of 105-minute classes. The length of each class period may vary depending on college/faculty or graduate school. Please consult with your home university to see how those credits would be counted and whether the courses you wish to take would be transferable. 
 

Financial support

Scholarships
Q10. Are there scholarships available for USTEP students? How do I apply?
A10. Scholarships from other sources, such as the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), may be available. Application information will be provided once students are successfully accepted for USTEP.
 

Student life

Housing
Q11. Is university housing guaranteed?
A11. No. Exchange students may apply for university housing. However, because of the limited number of facilities, housing cannot be guaranteed. The International Education Promotion Group at UTokyo will contact students with details about housing applications after their admission is granted. For further information, please visit our Housing Office website. http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/administration/housing-office/index.html
 

Other

Q12. Does UTokyo offer any short-term, non-degree programs held in English?
A12. Every year, there are some short-term, non-degree programs offered in English for a limited number of students (subject to change). See: http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/prospective-students/special_programs.html
A new short-term program for summer called GUC (Global Unit Courses) started in the summer 2021.

5. Brochure

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6. Inquiries

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Please read our FAQs before sending an email. We are unable to reply to inquiries already addressed in the FAQs.

You can contact the international Education Promotion Group using the form linked below.
Please include the following information in your message:
[Home university]
[Current year (Type U or Type G)]
[Planned period of exchange at UTokyo]
[Major]
[(For Type G) Graduate School you would like to enroll in]


International Education Promotion Group Contact Form
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